Central EU countries criticise TPD

Six central and eastern European countries in a joint statement said the European Union should scrap plans to

ban characterising flavours and slim cigarettes because they would unfairly impact tobacco growers and processors.

Plans to increase the size of packaging warning labels to 75 per cent of the front and back also should be removed from the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) proposed by the European Commission, the countries said. The Commission proposals are “unacceptable” because they exceed powers granted under Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the statement contends.

Countries publicised their complaints following a 17 May meeting in Cracow, Poland, of Visegrad Group members (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovak Republic) also attended by representatives from Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia. The Slovene government did not back the joint statement, according to a statement by Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Solutions for reduction of smoking suggested in the proposal are not of a comprehensive nature,” says the joint statement. “The proposal fails to provide for safeguards for tobacco manufacturing regions and tobacco growers, usually farming on small areas of lower productivity, in less developed parts of the EU with a high unemployment rate. The problems may result in unnecessary social tensions.”

“We would like to point out that the excessive use of delegated acts concerning the provisions of the Directive is unacceptable, and gives the European Commission too much power of regulation,” the statement said. (23 May 2013)